Impaired drivers feel the H.E.A.T. Ride-along with Savannah Police's aggressive traffic unit

Savannah's distracted and dangerous drivers are feeling the H.E.A.T. these days.

The Savannah Police Department received almost $342,500 from the Governor's Office of Highway earlier this summer ― one of only 24 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) grant for the Federal 2024 Fiscal Year.

The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of driving under the influence.

With the announcement of the program grant, the Savannah Morning News scheduled a ride-along with an SPD officer to learn more about the ins and outs of the H.E.A.T unit and traffic enforcement at-large.

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Policies around pursuing dangerous motorists

SPD Corporal Gregory Brogcinski, a nine-year veteran of the department, explained the workings of the SPD H.E.A.T. Unit. as we drove from the Northwest Precinct, 602 Lathrop Ave. He has been with the H.E.A.T. unit for four years.

The H.E.A.T. unit is composed of three officers, overseen by one supervisor. H.E.A.T. officers work 10-hour shifts, usually between 4 p.m. until 4 a.m. Aiding the SPD HEAT Unit is the GSP Nighthawks, which is composed of five to six members. GSP Nighthawks usually run during the weekends, and sometimes during weekday evenings, said Brogcinski.

There aren’t specific parts of town that the SPD H.E.A.T. unit tracks, but Brogcinski said, “We try to hit the main arteries,” which includes Interstate 16, Interstate 516, the Truman Parkway and Interstate 95. Officers also witness “a lot of issues” on the main roads, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Victory Drive, Montgomery Street, and White Bluff Road.

“We just try to divide and conquer and help each other out,” said Brogcinski. “So, if one unit is on the east side of town, we'll try to keep a unit over here on the west side of town, basically just kind of rotate around throughout the evening, so that way, we're always kind of hitting the spots and not leaving anything open as much as we can.”

Brogcinski noted that SPD H.E.A.T. vehicles abide by SPD policy when it comes to chasing vehicles, which prohibits officers from pursuing "vehicles for misdemeanors, traffic violations, violations of local ordinances, or non-forcible felonies.” SPD pursuit policy does allow that a “vehicle pursuit is justified only when an SPD police officer has reasonable grounds to believe the offender has committed or is attempting to commit a forcible felony and when the necessity of immediate apprehension outweighs the level of danger created by the pursuit.”

Georgia Department of Public Safety policy , meanwhile, states officers are “expected to make reasonable efforts to apprehend violators who flee or otherwise attempt to elude” but “to terminate a pursuit in the interest of their own and the public’s safety.”

“It really comes down to liability,” said Brogcinski. “And that's the biggest thing that we see, and one of the reasons why our agency hasn't really pressed it yet, because there's a lot that's involved, a lot of time and training in that nature. We are hopefully moving forward in the future with some sort of methods to be able to stop motorists.”

Within the next year, push-bumpers will be installed on certain SPD vehicles, according to an email from SPD Spokersperson Averi Beck. Push-bumpers are metal structures installed in the front of police vehicles that absorb the impact and reduce damage in low-speed collisions.

H.E.A.T. has goals

As it relates to driver tendencies, Brogcinski has noticed that post-COVID-19 pandemic speeding and DUIs have increased. Pre-COVID, “people were actually behaving pretty well.”

Although Brogcinski clarified that there is no arrest quota, the SPD H.E.A.T. unit has “monthly goals.” Per month, the GOHS grant requires them to record at least 27 DUI contacts, which comprises arrests and or checks, 280 speeding citations, 40 seat belt or occupant protection citations, and 40 distracted driving citations, said Brogcinski.

Brogcinski added that school zone cameras have helped catch speeders.

The H.E.A.T. unit recently received two new Dodge Durangos, and after SPD re-applies for the new GOHS grant cycle, the SPD will re-apply for a third Durango. Brogcinski said SPD needed new cars because the older cars, which were purchased in 2017, had high mileage.

“It’s a very demanding position,” said Brogcinski. “For a three-man position, we turn in some pretty respectable numbers here... We don't want to have to put people in jail for driving impaired or driving less safe. But unfortunately, we put more in jail than we would like to. So, it's always going to be a problem. The nightlife downtown is kind of, you know, the nemesis.”

Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Impaired drivers feel the H.E.A.T. Ride-along with Savannah Police's aggressive traffic unit